Reflection
The topic is unavoidable, and should not be avoided. It seems an impossible task to articulate the magnitude of the Indian Ocean Earthquakes, or the devastation that has accompanied it. This is but a mere effort to acknowledge the effects of this natural disaster and its impact on the world.
Numbers are funny things. They can carry so much meaning, or be passed by without even a second glance.
26/12/2004
9.0
1200
15
800
141 000
303.86
These numbers represent the following respectively: Date of the Indian Ocean Earthquake, magnitude, length of the tectonic plate affected, height of some waves, speed in km/h of some waves, confirmed deaths at time of writing this article (surely to be added to), amount of money raised for relief fund from R4NT?s NYE party.
Most of us have likely spent a fair bit of time thinking about the Indian Ocean Earthquake. Rationalizing the situation is an impossibility. X amount of time has been spent grieving lost ones, reading about these events, wondering, pondering, reminiscing on trips to places that are in shambles. Especially at New Year?s, we all tend to do an evaluation of our lives, how the past year went, resolutions for the year to come, and surely this event has entered into our shaping of these thoughts. I am lost for words to really do this topic any justice. I do, however, feel that it is an appreciated effort that most of us are taking the time to stop to reflect on the situation.
?Cars, and phones, and diamond rings, bling bling. Those are only removable things. And what about your mind, does it shine? Or are there things that concern you more than your time?,? Jack Johnson, ?Gone?.
If there were ever a time to feel fragile, human, disgusted by being consumed with meaningless materialistic items and goals, it would be now. While I am not a stranger to death and dying, the impact of this magnitude is something felt never before. The largest ever human disaster. We were a part of it. We are living this piece of history. We can be hopeful that through all our pensive moments that something meaningful comes of it. May it stop the blindness of our society. Feel it. Do not pass this event by and let it unchange the way you see humanity.
A sincere thank-you to everyone who donated to the relief fund.
Best wishes to everyone for 2005.
You can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth. Shira Tehrani
- Reflection
- by Pamela Hruska
- Published on January 1st, 2005
More from Pamela Hruska:
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Does Your Knife Really Cut it?
Toss those horrific finds from your local department store that are wobbly tinfoil productions. That row of Henkles that you all spend time in searching for your kitchen tools drives me crazy.
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Nights in Rodanthe
If anything, this movie highlights the fact that in any stage of life, you will not evade the debacle of trying to solidify a really firm idea of exactly what you want. Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, this film captures the author’s style quite closely.
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Mr.Rat
A neurosurgeon presented research on traumatic brain injuries. The subject: Mr. Rat. The type of brain injury being studied? A diffuse axonal one. This means somehow the mad scientist will need to invent a way to shear a large portion of the neural processes that allow one neuron to communicate with another.
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Saturday Morning Cartoons
…I cannot seem to reproduce the unbelievably contented feeling of waking up at 7 am on Saturday to watch my favorite cartoons…
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Urban Design
Chaotic and hasty. Building after building is being torn down with open pits sitting around for long periods of time. Roads are being ripped up everywhere. Traffic lanes are being closed during peak hours, and yet to come is the possible one year closure of a main block in Calgary’s downtown core..
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Property of the Region?
Telling someone life altering news, and mandating they must not smoke while on hospital property all at once seems a bit inhumane.
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Sónar 2010 – Barcelona, Spain
The festival attracts a lot of outsiders, but the Mediterranean, Spanish and more specifically Catalan nature of the people makes the festival what it is. Catalan people are passionate and this passion is infectious. The atmosphere is electric in Barcelona as a city and heightened by music and intoxicants at Sónar.
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Summer Party Naval Styles at Seven RestoLounge
Oysters, like wine are affected by terroir and these Miyagi’s flavor profiles ranged with one showing a cleaner, almost tropical profile and the other being more salty, marine driven. As I was devouring the seemingly endless plates put in front of us, I sipped on a glass of fine sauvignon blanc.
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R4NT Radio March 2010 um wow it’s been far too long since the last edition edition, featuring: Hector Hernandez, The Infesticons, Blockhead, Gramatik, Emika, Thunderheist, Parov Stelar, Eddy Meets Yannah, Anti-Pop Consortium, The Slew, Lighterthief, Andreya Triana, Parasyte Woman, Mathon, Venetian Snares, and Funki Porcini.
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O Restaurant & Lounge revisited
Calgary has a diverse set of urban communities, most of which have the ubiquitous strip mall watering hole. In the South West community of Marda Loop, a reinvention of this paradigm has been established.
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Predictions 2010.. and beyond!
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Invictus
No matter what, the reality of Nelson Mandela is something that deserves screen time. Should this film even remotely intrigue the masses to take interest in this figure, the world would likely benefit greatly from it.